1. Field of the Invention
The invention is in the field of mammalian reproduction and reproductive immunology and is directed to methods for detecting or isolating acrosome-reacted sperm and mature oocytes which are useful in diagnosis of infertility, for enhancement of in vitro fertilization, and for fertilization inhibition in vivo.
2. Description of the Background Art
Mammalian reproduction is a highly complex biological process which involves diverse specialized molecular systems. The importance of an immunological approach to reproduction stems from basic and clinical studies which demonstrated that reproductive cells and tissues express unique or shared molecules that can elicit immune responses, and that such immune responses can contribute to infertility.